This is a rare Rolex Oyster Army Reference 3139. Approximately 3000 of these watches were produced for the allied forces during WW2. The angular, Stainless Steel Cushion case, is one of the best designed cases we have seen in some time. The case back is classic Rolex Oyster with the bubble back and coin edge finish. The screw down crown is original and is signed “Oyster Patent”. The dial is restored to a high standard, with its gloss black base finish and gilt writing. The best part? Its on a military bund strap which is signed “Rolex of Geneva”. I have not seen another bund style strap from Rolex. It has a Stainless Steel Rolex buckle which would appear to be later from the 1960s. If you want a statement Rolex, look no further.
 
The case is Stainless Steel and is in original condition, remaining unpolished. It measures 30mm x 30mm, with a lug-to-lug measurement of 38mm. This watch wears much larger than it’s dimensions with it’s angular, cushion shaped case. The front of the case has a polished finish which has multiple light surface scratches. The top of the lugs have a grained finish which follows the line of the bottom of the bezel. The lugs are angular, with three faces. They are very crisp from the side view. The sides of the case also have a grained finish running along the length of them. There is light surface scratching on the sides and a couple of small nicks which are visible in the images. The rear of the case also have a slight grained finish which follows the curvature of the watch.
 
The dial has been restored to a very high standard. It is almost of California style, but has Arabic numerals continuing on the top half of the dial.  It has a black gloss base finish with gilt hour markers. The lume has been refinished with a modern replacement which is non-radioactive. It is signed “Rolex Oyster Army” below 12 O’clock, with “Swiss made” at 6 O’clock. The hour track is simple, with 60 marks around it. The minute, hour and second hand are of the original style on the Oyster Army reference. Most examples are thermally blued, which leads me to believe these may have been recoloured to match the tone of the dial. The lume has been re-applied too.
 
The crystal is a replacement plexi-glass which is in very good condition. The crown is original to the Rolex Oyster Army model. It has a lovely coin edge and is signed “Oyster Patent”. The domed centre to the face of the crown has suffered damage from a scuff in the past.
 
The case back is Stainless Steel and is in good condition. It has a polished finish to the exterior which is original. It has a coin edge to the extremity as with all classic Oysters. It is signed “Stainless Steel RWC” with the serial number 214702. The watch is on a bund style military strap which is signed Rolex Of Geneva to the rear. It also has a 1960s Rolex Stainless Steel buckle.
 
The movement is a Rolex Calibre 710  which has 17 jewels and is adjusted to 2 positions. It has an excellent Rolex Patent Super Balance. It has a frequency of 18,000 BPH, with a power reserve of 44 hours. The movement is extremely well finished and is of a much better quality than the other Rolex manual wind movements of this era. The movement is in good condition cosmetically and functionally, having been recently serviced.
 
Full condition report below.  Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
 
Dial: The dial has been restored to a very high standard. It is almost of California style, but has Arabic numerals continuing on the top half of the dial.  It has a black gloss base finish with gilt hour markers. The lume has been refinished with a modern replacement which is non-radioactive. It is signed “Rolex Oyster Army” below 12 O’clock, with “Swiss made” at 6 O’clock. The hour track is simple, with 60 marks around it. There is one slight blemish above 4 O’clock, but overall this is an excellent restoration.
 
Hands: The minute, hour and second hand are of the original style on the Oyster Army reference. Most examples are thermally blued, which leads me to believe these may have been recoloured to match the tone of the dial. The lume has been re-applied too.
 
Glass: The crystal is a replacement plexi-glass which is in very good condition.
 
Crown: The crown is original to the Rolex Oyster Army model. It has a lovely coin edge and is signed “Oyster Patent”. The domed centre to the face of the crown has suffered damage from a scuff in the past.
 
Case:
The case is Stainless Steel and is in original condition, remaining unpolished. The front of the case has a polished finish which has multiple light surface scratches all over, which are consistent with the age of the watch. The top of the lugs have a grained finish which follows the line of the bottom of the bezel. The lugs are angular, with three faces. They are very crisp from the side view. The sides of the case also have a grained finish running along the length of them. There is light surface scratching on the sides and a couple of small nicks which are visible in the images. The rear of the case also have a slight grained finish which follows the curvature of the watch. Overall it is a case in good original condition for the age.
 
Caseback:
The case back is Stainless Steel and is in good condition. It has a polished finish to the exterior which is original. It has a coin edge to the extremity as with all classic Oysters. It is signed “Stainless Steel RWC” with the serial number 214702. The inside of the case back has its original lead seal. The inside has peerlage finishing and is signed Brevetee Rolex S.A. Geneve-Swiss, 31 Victories, Haute Precision, RWC LTD, 3139.
 
Strap:
The watch is on a bund style military strap which is signed Rolex Of Geneva to the rear. It also has a 1960s Rolex Stainless Steel buckle.
 
Movement:
The movement is a Rolex Calibre 710  which has 17 jewels and is adjusted to 2 positions. It has an excellent Rolex Patent Super Balance. It has a frequency of 18,000 BPH, with a power reserve of 44 hours. The movement is extremely well finished and is of a much better quality than the other Rolex manual wind movements of this era. The movement is in good condition cosmetically and functionally, having been recently serviced.
 
Case dimensions:
Case width: 30mm
Case width with crown: 32.7mm
Case length: 30mm
Case length lug to lug: 38mm
Case Depth: 10mm
Lug width: 16mm